"I may be wrong..." You are wrong. Your whole piece is entirely wrong. From your acceptance of Mugabe's level of support in the country, to the business of trade sanctions (there are none), to Britain's motives. A Times journalist: Mugabe has hooked, reeled in and landed a plump fishie indeed!

Mike Paterson, Brentford, UK

Dear Mick,

What trade sanctions against Zimbabwe? the only sanctions are against travel by a few ZANU PF leaders. Mugabe wrecked his own country, through naked self interest.

The real racism is that these regiemes are tolerated by white apologists, who would not tolerate this elsewhere.

Dr James, Leicester,

No African liberation army won independence, it was given to them."

Really? How about Mozambique (right next door to Zimbabwe), Angola and Guinea Bissau? How about Algeria then? Eritrea?

Eze, Lagos,

I remember a similar article Mr Hume wrote about Darfur. And he is absolutely correct. What right have we as gutless, woolly, ultra-liberals to pass comment on injustice, oppression, torture, murder, state sanctioned rape, state controlled famine and genocide? As long as it doesn't effect us, eh?

Ewan, Edinburgh,

I agree with the South Africans –the conduct of the election is an internal matter for Zimbabweans to resolve. Don’t expect to understand African-rules politics or the spirit of ubuntu. Africans have not commented on the much delayed presidential vote between Obama and Mrs Clinton –nor should they. Uhuru is not something that Africans should sell to the highest bidder.

Winston Nkomo-Mason, Johannesburg, South Africa

"Some feel Britain's guilty colonial past gives us a special responsibility to intervene now"

What guilty past? I don't feel guilty. The fact that Africas the only continent to 'regress' since de-colonisation speaks volumes. The people of Sierra Leone want re-colonisation since we sorted them out

Anthony, Brum,

Had Zimbabwe's guerilla "liberation" movements not been trained, funded, and armed by the communists states they would have had no chance of fighting a credible campaign, let alone winning power. I see no evidence that there will be similar support for Mugabe's opponents from the outside world.

Austin, Kalamazoo, USA

Um, it's called tribalism Mick. I spent a year teaching in Botswana in 1984 and friends taught in Zimbabwe. Even then the army were throwing Ndebele teachers down wells and brutalising the non-Shona. Luckily nobody in the West votes according to their "tribe"...

Tim, London,

I follow the logic Mick.What we must do is refrain from comment and start smuggling weapons over the boarder so that they can at least stand a chance of sorting out their own problems.
While it's clubs against guns you will not have change.
Revolution,remember your misguided youth Mick.

robert everitt, wolverhampton,

Like most British people, you are forgetting the intimidation that precedes every election, from the first one onwards! Let's NOT forget that those mass graves were found, that 'murder' was and is used to ensure that the numbers work out in favour of Mugabe. 'Fluffy' journalism disgusts me.

MJ, Lisbon,

One wonders just how bad an African regime has to get before we say: "Yep, it's their fault".
In its own way it's thinly diguised racism. We're treating them as children, and blaming ourselves as parents. The spirit of Cecil Rhodes is alive and well.

Ken Leyland, Liverpool, U.K.

One author (unnamed)says sanctions made it nearly impossible for Zimbabwe to engage in normal international trade. What trade sanctions, which author?

Bernard, Edinburgh, Scotland

Surprise, surprise, see what Skynews have just 'exposed'. I'm certainly NOT at all surprised - it's been happening even before the first elections - Freedom Fighters did not allow the population they were supposedly 'freeing' the luxury of having their own political opinion then either.

MJ, Lisbon,

"I may be wrong, but didn't Zimbabweans settle scores with an autocratic regime before?" Yes you are wrong. Sanctions + end of S/African support + perfidious Albion contributed to the end of the war. Certainly not the armed struggle. No African liberation army won independence, it was given to them.

Steve, Horsham, UK

Vote for Mugabe, get food, fuel and housing. Vote against Mugabe, get beaten, imprisoned and murdered. I garee, it's very difficult to see why anybody would vote for Mugabe! The average Zimbabwean hasn't a clue what the outside world thinks.

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

Mr Hume what frightening logic. The Nazis managed to get c.35% of the vote in 1933 + I'm sure Pol Pot would have got votes in Cambodia. No one really knows what vote Zanu PF got when there were no independent observers in Zimbabwe during elections. Mugabe needs to go regardless of any past success.

A Thomas, Lanchester,

We should leave Africa to sort it's own problems out, it's none of our business and foreign aid just gets spent on guns anyway. Africa has made it perfectly clear that they do not want the "help" of the western world, we should leave them alone and sort our own problems out.

Doug Bates, St. Albans,

Yes ignore Zimbabwe but at what cost? in absolute terms does the theory of non-interventionism really exist? be it internal or external. In my opinion the result of not doing anything is to aide another genocide akin to Rwanda. Well, there is no oil in Zimbabwe so expect no interventinon.

Nicholas Okpeku, Cardiff, United Kingdom

Wey Hey - there speaks an intelligent man. Good for you Terry.. That's the truth and no doubt - the west should cut Zimbabwe dead no visas no nothing - they'll figure it out soon enough!

Dave B, Plymouth, UK

Lack of support for Mugabe is relatively recent. it was not so long ago that Edinburgh University gave him an honorary degree, such was the affection that place held him in. As it turns out they were proping up a fairl brutal dictator and knew it, and were quite happy to support and encourage him.

Gerry, Edinburgh,

Ignore Zimbabwe. Literally, ignore them: no "interference", no lectures, no business or sporting links, above all no hand-outs. The problem will then solve itself.

Terry Dell, Weybridge, UK

Did not the same british that pple call on tio intervene whether economically, politically or by any other means not intervene when the rights of the black Zimbabweans where being trampled upon. Where were they? were was the concern of the international community then?

Jono, Luton, England

It is clear that just as Zimbabweans with Africa's help liberated themselves from the white minority rule which Britain could have stopped through military intervention in Rhodesia they will liberate themselves from Mugabe if they wish and if the west doesnt engage in this counterproductive noise!

Jono, Luton, England

We can all look back and surmise on history - we have to deal with the NOW and the NOW is aweful. Lets sort this tyrant out NOW !!!!!!

Ian Payne, WALSALL,

one third of Zimbabwe people have left and are not allowed to vote, millions cant vote in the country due to citizen laws, id's being confiscated and people being internally displaced, plus eliminate the rigged postal ballots and stop intimidating rural people with food and violence = he has 5-10%

bryan, bulawayo, zimbabwe

Colonialism is Mugabes grand excuse.Its gone so far beyond colonialism.The white population of Zimbabwe has gone!The farms are cut up into thousands of squatter camps.Still Mugabe shouts about the 'Evil Whites'.The rest of the world has no interest in Zim,other than to see it have basic human right

Claire, Brisbane,

What I would like to know is how do you fix what he has done?Farming is the lifeline of the country,he's expelled the farmers who probably wont come back and he's cut the fertile land up into tiny plots.What now,you can't remove the thousands of squatters.How do you farm without farmers or free land

Claire, Brisbane,

Very perceptive. I think the recent business with the Chinese ship was a good indication of what African people and institutions could do if they got onto something before the West started trying to tell them to do it.

It's like being told to get out of bed - you were going to but now you won't!

Mike, Twickenham, England

Yes, good idea. Why not stand back and let that Chinese ship land arms at a port in Africa so that Mugabe can carry out a massacre of opposition supporters just as in Rwanda.

Robert, Bangkok, Thailand

Are you suggesting that the choice Zimbabweans have today is between Mugabe's rule and colonialism? That is the spin that Mugabe has been putting on it all the time.......

Barbara Goss, Brisbane, Australia